[h1]Note: please, do not look at my playtime in Steam. I purchased this game first when it was just released on Android about a year ago and have already completed it several times on my mobile. I must have about 15 hours in it by now.[/h1]
Keeper of the Sun and Moon is one of the games I followed since its demo was first released on Choice of Games forum (if my memory does not deceive me, at least). This title also left me with mixed feelings that I still cannot completely understand. Do I like it? Yes and no at the same time. Do I hate it? I would say no, but there are several features that rub me the wrong way.
Let me give you some examples first and then you can decide for yourself whether you want to try this choose-your-own adventure or not.
[h1]My thoughts about the game[/h1]
Three main points of any text-based games are story, writing and characters – I think I am even repeating myself here, hm. Anyway, there is nothing else I can talk about as there are no graphics or music and the gameplay is quite simple.
[list][*][b][u]First things first: the story[/u][/b][/list]
You find yourself in quite a predicament while running away from a magical creature that we all know as the gorgon. After defeating this ominous opponent, you are face to face with Astrid, the girl who dragged you into this mess. And we all know what happens with witnesses of supernatural activities…they are brought to magical schools, of course! From now on, you have to study about the other world that is hidden from simple mortals but is quite real. You can choose to be one of several interesting magical species or just stay a normal human with some special skills; the choice is all yours. You will also meet a lot of interesting (and not so much) people along the way, uncover a conspiracy, develop your skills and find out more about your own family. Or maybe you would rather destroy all this magical around you and join a secret organization? Or…even get seduced by the dark side?
So, as you can see, the story sounds quite interesting. There are several plot twists to accompany all of these events, as well as various romantic paths to pursue. All in all, we have a solid magical world with its own special features in the Harry Potter style with a more modern touch to it. At the same time, I think that the whole school trope is badly overused nowadays, as the one about a special boy/girl who is destined to save the world or steal everyone’s heart – not exactly our case here, though, but still pretty close. In my opinion, the story lacked this special something, a zing that would make it stand out among all other teenage dramas about magical adventures of a common person.
The redeeming quality here is the great variety of magical races for your character. To be honest, the kitsune option was of particular interest for me. And I am really sad to say that either I was doing something wrong or this race is overwhelmingly underpowered compared to others. My character failed a lot of skill checks and performed poorly overall because she was good at mind control and fire only. At the same time, almost all other races are well balanced and interesting to explore. And characters actually react to them – so, an angel will notice your demonic nature for sure.
[list][*][b][u]Speaking of the writing[/u][/b][/list]
I would like to mention two important points. The good one: it is easy to read and there are hardly any mistakes or typos. I also did not notice any continuity or codingh issues. The bad one: the story telling itself is inconsistent. The author jumps from event to event too fast without providing enough connections between them. I am not sure if the pacing can be described as ‘rushed’, but there is definitely something off with it. One moment you are at the lesson, another one there is a party, then a fight, then meeting new people, and etc. and etc. Just too much to deal with and the lack of general descriptions. The same goes for romance, unfortunately.
On the other hand, I really like that the author paid attention to various lore things. Books with descriptions of magical rules and potions; history with special events; new kinds of tasty food that only supernatural creatures will understand; and even a pet dragon! You can visit special shops to purchase ingredients or books, go to parties, set something on fire or even battle in a simulator. These small touches make were implemented neatly thanks to the pretty good writing.
Oh, and do not forget about the interesting system of messages! The best part is that if you forget to read them, sometimes this will affect your dialogues with people as they can ask you for specific information.
Skills are also very easy to navigate, as well as choices. It is always clear how your actions will affect your stats or the story – except for some small interactions with other people from time to time. Also, it was nice to see that your character has a real choice in how to react to the whole magical world part. You can accept it completely, have some reservations or just hate everything and everybody.
And ju-u-st the last small note: I find it particularly lovely that you can choose some part of your character’s appearance. Hair, eye and skin color in particular.
[list][*][b][u]Characters, the ones we love and hate. And sometimes save[/u][/b][/list]
To start with, there is a great variety of very charismatic people of all possible magical and non-magical races. All of them are unique, but have quite familiar personalities – you have definitely seen some in common TV series. It is not that bad though, as magic makes everything even a bit more special. However, I also think that some characters did not get enough development or you meet them too rarely to actually understand their personality. Unless you focus on these people as romantic options, of course. This is partially due to the inconsistency in writing that I mentioned above. I believe that the author will be able to solve this issue in the second chapter – after all, the story will continue developing and we will definitely see more of our favorite guys and gals. One small complaint: I think there was too much Astrid at times.
As far as romance is concerned, we again have the same issue – some parts feel rushed or just change too fast. I loved a lot of characters and it was a great pleasure to find out more about them, but I still felt that there were not enough interactions to actually fall in love with each other. Just a bit more daily activities and hanging out together, and it would be just perfect!
[h1]My verdict[/h1]
Keeper of the Sun and Moon is not a game I would feverishly recommend to my friends or readers as I sometimes do with other text-based titles. It does have several features that caught my attention immediately; but, sadly, it did not captivate me enough to ensure a glowing review. It is like a diamond that still needs some polishing and then it will truly shine. And when it does, trust me, it will be worth a lot of love.
To sum up, I think it is a good text-based game in general, juts not something special like Choice of Robots, Samurai of Hyuga or Way Walkers: University – in other words, not a story you will remember for a long time. A bit generic as there is no special flavor to it (mostly because of the yet another magical school trope) but with its own charm and a nice cliffhanger in the end. Will I look forward to the second part, though? Definitely! With some further story development and improvements to the writing, Keeper of the Sun and Moon might actually get into my list of favorites.
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